New Hampshire Flag

The New Hampshire State Flag. Adopted by State Legislature on November 30, 1931.

Colors

#002A86

81.6%

#EFAE0E

7.6%

#FFFFFF

2.9%

#3F863F

1.4%

#4F9EFF

1.2%

Percentage totals may not equal 100. Colors with less than 1 percent are ignored.

Description

The New Hampshire state flag contains the state seal in the center against a deep blue canvas. The seal itself is intricate with a circular wreath interspersed with nine stars. Outside of the wreath are the words, “Seal of the State of New Hampshire” and “1776.” Inside the wreath and stars lies a ship docked at sunrise. Beams of light from the sun are visible surrounding the ship, and an American flag is on the ship's deck in the picture. The only colors on the seal are blue, red, yellow and green.

Meaning

The state seal of New Hampshire has its own unique meaning, in addition to the flag. The nine stars represent New Hampshire as the ninth state to join the Union while the wreath symbolizes eminence and victory. The ship embodies the USS Raleigh which was one of the first 13 warships built in 1776 by the Continental Congress for a new American navy. The water surrounding the ship represents the harbor of Portsmouth, where the ship is docked. The land is colored yellow, meaning granite, which represents both the rock of the rugged New Hampshire landscape and the sturdy nature of the people who live there. The sun rising triumphantly in the sky refers to the state becoming a major shipbuilding center during the war years.

History

The New Hampshire state flag was formally adopted by its legislature in 1909. In 1919, the Director of the New Hampshire Historical Society wrote a history of the state seal and flag. He described how the original artists of the state seal had created an interesting assortment of detail such as rum barrels on the dock. In 1931, Governor John Winant named a committee to produce a seal without the rum barrels at the dock, which continuously sparked controversy. Later that year, the state legislature approved the committee's recommendations, and then enacted a law which described the new state seal to be the official design. This decision has helped squash the old controversy!

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